CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Pine Lodge
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found safe recruitment, enough staff for people's needs, safe medicines systems and good safeguarding awareness. They also found some environmental and equipment risks, which the home acted on immediately after the inspection.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff had relevant specialist training and supported people's health, nutrition, communication and daily activities. The home worked well with healthcare professionals and followed their guidance.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff were kind, calm and respectful. People were supported to make choices, stay involved in their care, maintain independence and keep contact with family and community activities.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care and communication plans gave detailed guidance about people's needs, preferences and routines. The home offered accessible communication and encouraged feedback, although its end of life care planning was still being developed.
- Well-led?
- Requires improvement
- Managers were approachable and staff described good support and morale. However, governance checks had not identified some environmental and equipment concerns, and managers needed clearer understanding of some reporting responsibilities.
What inspectors found, July 2019
Rated Good overall, but inspectors rated well-led Requires Improvement after finding that some equipment and environmental checks had not identified risks.
This was a planned inspection on 13 June 2019. One inspector observed care, spoke with staff and managers, reviewed one person's care and medicine records, and checked recruitment and management records. Feedback was also sought from relatives and other organisations.
The home provides short-term respite accommodation and support for up to three people with learning disabilities, autism and physical healthcare needs. Inspectors found safe, effective, kind and personalised care. People were supported with activities, college, day services and community life.
The main weakness was leadership and checking systems. Audits had not found some damaged areas or overdue equipment safety checks. The home acted after the inspection, but inspectors said these issues should have been found earlier. The overall rating stayed Good, while well-led fell from Good to Requires Improvement.
Kind and respectful staff
Inspectors saw a calm and caring approach. Staff encouraged people, supported their independence and respected privacy and dignity.
“There was a calm, caring, friendly and relaxed atmosphere, with staff regularly interacting with the person staying at the service.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans gave detailed instructions about communication, personal care, food, medicines and daily routines. Staff adapted support to individual needs and preferences.
“Care plans contained detailed information for staff to follow to support people with completion of personal care, eating and drinking, medicines and other aspects of daily activity.” from the report
Good staff skills
Staff received regular training, including specialist training, and were supported through induction, supervision and appraisals.
“Staff told us they had access to regular face to face and online training courses relevant to their role, including specialist training to ensure they could meet each person's needs.” from the report
Support with health and activities
People were supported with specialist diets, healthcare advice, college, day services, community activities and exercise.
“People staying at Pine Lodge participated in activities and maintained attendance at college, day services and community hubs.” from the report
Checks missed environmental risks
needs fixingThe home was clean overall, but inspectors found damaged bathroom tiles, damaged wooden pipe surrounds and rusty shower equipment. The home took action after the inspection.
“One bathroom had some damaged tiles making it difficult to keep this area clean, some wooden pipe surrounds were damaged, and an item of shower equipment was rusty.” from the report
Management reporting knowledge
needs fixingManagers were unclear about when some incidents or safeguarding concerns needed to be reported to CQC. Inspectors gave guidance during the visit.
“The management team were unclear about aspects of their regulatory responsibility in relation to reporting certain types of incidents or safeguarding concerns to CQC.” from the report
- 01What equipment checks were missed, and can you show us that all required checks are now up to date?
- 02What repairs were made to the damaged tiles, wooden pipe surrounds and rusty shower equipment?
- 03How have you changed your audits so they identify environmental and equipment risks before they affect people?
- 04How do staff now know which incidents and safeguarding concerns must be reported to CQC?
- 05What progress has been made with end of life care planning and staff training?
This was a planned inspection of the care home, covering all five CQC questions; the previous overall rating was Good, but the well-led rating fell to Requires Improvement. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 July 2019 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
What inspectors found, October 2016
Pine Lodge: Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with all five areas rated Good.
The inspection visit took place on 08 August 2016 and was announced. One inspector reviewed care records, medicines records, staff recruitment and training files, and management checks. They also spoke with three relatives, four staff members and the registered manager.
The inspectors found that people were safe and supported by enough trained staff. Risks and medicines were managed well. Staff understood people's health needs, respected their choices and dignity, and involved families in care planning.
Care plans were detailed and personal. The home supported people's independence, activities, healthcare and transition between young people's and adult services. The management team had systems to check quality and respond to complaints. All five areas, and the service overall, were rated Good.
Safe staffing
Staffing levels were planned around the needs of the people staying at the home. The service also aimed to use familiar agency staff when needed.
“We looked at staff rotas and saw that there were consistently sufficient numbers of personnel available to meet people's needs.” from the report
Detailed care planning
Care plans gave staff clear information about each person’s needs, communication, preferences and equipment. Families were involved when a person could not contribute fully.
“Care plans were person centred and provided very detailed information on how to meet each person's needs.” from the report
Respect and independence
Staff understood people’s individual ways of communicating and supported privacy, dignity and choice. The home also provided opportunities to build independence.
“Staff knew people well and provided support discreetly and with compassion.” from the report
Training for complex needs
Staff training included medicines, safeguarding, epilepsy, diabetes, autism and complex nutritional needs. New staff shadowed experienced colleagues before working independently.
“People had their needs met by staff who had the necessary skills and had received comprehensive training.” from the report
Quality monitoring
Management checked care records, cleanliness, equipment safety, medicines and staff training. Identified issues were recorded with action plans.
“The service maintained robust records of safety checks on equipment in the premises.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01Can you accommodate the dates we need, given that the home can accommodate up to three people at one time?
- 02Which staff members would support my relative, and how would you make sure they understand their complex needs?
- 03How would you support my relative’s medicines, including checking instructions and recording each dose?
- 04How would you involve our family in reviewing and updating the care plan?
- 05What is the current position on the planned sensory room and other improvements mentioned in the report?
This was an announced inspection covering the overall service and all five key questions, with checks of records, staffing, medicines, care and quality monitoring. This explanation was written from the published report of 20 October 2016 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Pine Lodge
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- July 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2013
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 1 November 2013.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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13 live-in carers within about an hour of Norfolk
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £990 to £1,120 a week. 9 can care for a couple. 14 years' experience on average.
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.